Thursday, 23 October 2014

Emptiness

"An understanding of ku [emptiness] helps us to see that,
despite how we may see them, things--people, situations, relationships,
our own lives--are not fixed, but dynamic, constantly changing and
evolving. They are filled with latent potential which can become
manifest at any time."
The concept of shunyata (Sanskrit), or ku
(Japanese), has been variously translated as latency,
non-substantiality, emptiness and void. One of the first detailed
articulations of this idea comes from the Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna,
living in India between 150 and 250 C.E. Nagarjuna believed that the
state of "neither existence nor nonexistence" described in this concept
expressed the true nature of all things. The paradoxical nature of this
idea, however, makes it somewhat foreign to Western dualistic logic, and
has helped contribute to a stereotype of Buddhism as a detached,
mystical philosophy which sees the world as a grand illusion. The
implications of ku, however, are much more down-to-earth, and are in
fact consistent with the findings of contemporary science.
Modern physics, in attempting to discover the essence of matter, has
arrived at a description of the world that is very close to that of
Nagarjuna. What scientists have discovered is that there is no actual,
easily identifiable "thing" at the basis of matter. Subatomic particles,
the building blocks of the physical world that we inhabit, appear to
oscillate between states of being and nonbeing. Instead of a fixed
"thing" in a particular place, we find only shifting waves of
probability. At this level, the world is actually a highly fluid and
unpredictable place, essentially without substance. It is this
non-substantial nature of reality that the concept of ku describes.
Ku also elucidates the latent potential inherent in life. Consider
how, when we are in the grip of a powerful emotion, such as anger, this
expresses itself in our entire being--our glaring expression, raised
voice, tensed body and so on. When our temper cools, the anger
disappears. What has happened to it? We know anger still exists
somewhere within us, but until something causes us to feel angry again,
we can find no evidence of its existence. To all intents and purposes,
it has ceased to exist. Memories are another example; we are unaware of
their existence until they suddenly rise into our consciousness. The
rest of the time, as with our anger, they are in a state of latency, or
ku: they exist and yet they do not.
An understanding of ku, therefore, helps us to see that, despite how
we may see them, things--people, situations, relationships, our own
lives--are not fixed, but dynamic, constantly changing and evolving.
They are filled with latent potential which can become manifest at any
time. Even the most seemingly hopeless situation has within it
astoundingly positive possibilities.
It is very natural for us to apply various types of definitions to
people, situations and ourselves, in order to make sense of the world.
Unless we are careful about the nature of our thoughts and opinions,
however, we can easily become trapped in narrow and often negative
views: "He's not a very nice person," "I'm no good at relationships,"
"There will never be peace in the Middle East." As soon as we make up
our minds about something in this way, we impose a limitation on it,
shutting out the possibilities of positive growth and development.
When we choose to view things in term of their infinite positive
potential, however, our thoughts and actions become a constructive
influence, helping create the conditions for that potential to become a
reality.
Because of the intimate interconnectedness of all things, each of us,
at each moment, has a profound impact on the shared reality of life.
The way we see things has a definite, defining effect on reality.
Realizing this enables us to act with the confidence that we can shape
reality toward positive outcomes.
The most positive and constructive view is to believe in the
unbounded positive potential inherent in all life. Buddhism terms this
potential--the true nature of life--"Buddhahood," which Nichiren defined
as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nichiren encouraged his followers to chant this
phrase with the firm conviction that by doing so they are tapping the
latent potentiality of Buddhahood in themselves and in the situations
they are part of.